Maybe Grabovski can join Brian Burke in Buffalo next season…

Even the most un-believing Leaf supporter has to know that, now, the blue and white are playoff-bound.  If we had any doubts before, the emphatic 5-1 victory against the hated Habs on Saturday night at the ACC put an exclamation point on the team’s intentions.  They plan to make the playoffs—and just maybe make some noise once they get there. (Quick aside: work-related commitments made it a challenge to try and catch the Leaf-Montreal game...I saw precious little!  Feel free to share any take-aways you had from that contest...) 

I know I’m repeating myself, but as I keep asking here:  who is unbeatable in the East?  Name the team that can’t be beaten in a playoff round?  Heck, even the once-feared Bruins seemingly are not what they were, and certainly not with Bergeron injured (and Marchand, too?)

Can the Leafs be the squad that can take advantage of that overall ‘vulnerability’ with so many teams in flux in the Conference?  That I don't know, but as of this moment, I’m hard-pressed to think of legitimate (not manufactured or concocted) reasons why they can’t do some damage this spring.  I’m not saying they will, but I believe they are capable of doing just that.

As I often say here:  we’ll see.  But I think I've raised the bar a bit from "no expectations this season" to....well, a bit more than that.

****

Meantime, we are all aware that those who live in Leaf country have experienced (or at least heard about) the angst in recent weeks around the beloved Mikhail Grabovski.  That ‘storyline’ has seen the feisty center lose playing time, thus creating a furor in some circles around the notion that the veteran Leaf has been grossly mis-used by Leaf coach Randy Carlyle. Some can’t understand Carlyle’s thinking, or assume this is somehow personal.  Many are campaigning for Grabovski to play ahead of, say, Tyler Bozak.

This all culminated in some  (surely) temporary fourth-line minutes, and suggestions that Grabbo’s relationship with Carlyle has deteriorated to the point of no return.  Then when we discovered that Grabovski was “missing” after a game last week, I’m sure Leafers were wondering if he had finally had enough—and bolted, or was at least in a snit.

Of course, calmer heads prevailed when it was announced that he was undergoing hospital tests for a lingering gastrointestinal issue, something that has evidently been plaguing him for some time.

I’m not sure if it is somehow instructive, a bit ironic or intuitively useless information that Grabovski actually played more than Bozak in Saturday’s big win against Montreal.  It may mean something, or absolutely nothing.  (You may recall that I posted a few days ago that Mikhail might well be a key Leaf in the upcoming playoff run, despite the concerns about his supposed ‘mis-usage’…).  But he’s back, seemingly healthy, and that’s a good thing.

I do have one question for Leaf fans: whether you are one of those who believe he has indeed been misused or not, put yourself in the shoes of the Leafs’ top wingers this season.  I’m thinking about, for example, Kessel, Lupul and van Riemsdyk, generally acknowledged as our frontline wingers.  Even include some other skill guys like Kulemin, MacArthur and Frattin.  If they were asked, honestly, to choose which center they would really and truly prefer to play with, whom do you think they would pick?  Would it be Grabbo, Kadri or Bozak?

For some reason, I sense the majority of those players would gravitate to Kadri or Bozak.  This is not to suggest Grabovski is somehow unpopular or not a great guy to play with.  I just wonder if Carlyle is simply facing a practical reality that, a) given how important McClement has become, and b) the fact that Kadri makes guys around him a lot better than they otherwise might be and c) Kessel’s reliance on Bozak, all that may, some nights, make it difficult for the long-time Leaf center to get the minutes some feel he deserves.

The longer-term question is maybe:  does Grabovski have a long shelf life in Toronto?  Does he in fact have a lousy relationship with the demanding Leaf coach?  Is he, as some suggest, a victim of poor deployment strategies by Carlyle?

While he is in the midst of a contract and Bozak is a pending UFA, is it nonetheless conceivable that the Leafs will want to re-sign Bozak—even at money that is more than some of us may feel is justified, because of his versatility and ‘fit’ (and friendship) with the usually dynamic Kessel?  (I’m not suggesting friendship is going to be part of management’s decision-making process, simply that the on-ice chemistry in this case seems, to a certain degree, to have roots in their off-ice collegiality…)

If the Leafs were to consider moving Grabovski in the off-season, I wonder if a fit might be just across the border?  My thinking is based, in part, on something that I posted about here some time back.  One landing spot for former Leaf General Manager Brian Burke may well be Buffalo.  I don’t pretend to know what Sabre owner Terry Pegula is thinking these days, but he can’t be thrilled that, two years into his ownership, the team (despite some mini winning streaks of late) many nights has looked more muddled, inconsistent and unstructured than it has in a long time.  Some nights they appear disinterested—the sign of a team somewhat adrift and lacking leadership in some respect.

If Pegula decides that, with Lindy Ruff gone behind the bench, an interim coach in his place and Darcy Regier on the job now for like 15 seasons, it may be time to start fresh with his own people.  Some of the criticism from the local Buffalo fans and media is that the team lack intensity and requires a major re-build—a re-build that began in earnest just prior to the recent trade deadline, with the Sabres picking up a number of significant draft choices in return for some marketable veterans.

Does that not seem like a fit for the former Leaf GM?  Regier's replacement will have lots of draft picks and assets at his disposal to "hurry up" the re-build.

Burke in Buffalo may just make a bit of sense.  Other than Montreal, which would never happen, and perhaps Ottawa, I would think a Buffalo placement for Burke would re-ignite what has been, at times, a pretty keen rivalry between these two franchises. 

We know Grabovski played well while Burke was in Toronto.  Burke would, unlike when he joined the Leafs, likely hire his own guy to coach the Sabres.  In that scenario, would Grabbo be somebody that would thrive in a front-line role on a team that needs strength up the middle and some leadership?  They have Steve Ott (who may be a future captain but is not a big-time goal scorer) and the emerging Cody Hodgson, but Grabbo could light things up in Sabre town.

If Pegula is looking for some bravado and brashness and an injection of confidence after the reserved if thoughtful Regier regime, he may well see Burke as the best available fit for the job.

I know this is conjecture, and right now, Leaf fans are most interested in whether Grabovski can help us advance in the playoffs.  But since there has been some much huffing and puffing about Grabbo, I’m just, you know, thinking ahead.

****

With that as a backdrop—and part of the controversy that forever engulfs the Leaf universe—I’m sure everyone noticed that Jake Gardiner was quietly inserted into the lineup against a “skill” roster and played 24 minutes Saturday night.  (Was that more than any other defensemen?  I think it was.)

Was another Leaf crisis averted?  You tell me.

No matter.  Where else can you find something to talk about every day?

****

Some VLM columns you can catch up on….

• For those interested in the “Leaf Matters” podcast, here is a link to some recent topics and guests

• How Leaf fans sometimes struggle to cope with success

• Good goalies make good coaches; the Carlyle debate